The Advertiser seems to think there is still a debate on climate change. The Point of View by David Peckham does not deserve space in our local paper. The people quoted in the piece represent the views of fewer than 3% of climate scientists and giving their disproven views yet another run is wasting precious time better used taking action.
We are in a climate emergency. More than 97% of climate scientists support the need for urgent action on man-made climate change. If a local bridge was deemed dangerous to cross by 9 of the local engineers with only 1 saying it should be OK, would we drive across? The scientific climate consensus is even more strongly decided than this example.
The discussion needs to focus on the details of what we do right now. The Victorian Governments response last week is a start. But even this is not ambitious enough to meet the goals needed to ensure we avoid the worst rises in global temperatures. East Gippsland of all places should be desperately pushing for more action after experiencing the devastating fires of 2020-21.
The reality is that we must act, we need all levels of government to work together as they have with the COVID pandemic. With luck and very serious hard work we may keep global temperatures below 1.5°C. Every fraction of a degree under 2°C will lead to a more tolerable and liveable world for our younger generations. They deserve a future as rich and diverse as older people like me have experienced.
*published on 13.5. The Author is a member of EGCAN, Bairnsdale XR and a contributor to this blog.